Foolish Sentiment
by Willowwhip
Summary: This was moronic. Didn't he know better than to put himself in harms way to care for her? Nothing was gained by him being a sentimental fool. RiverxDoctor Sick!Fic because I need more.
1. A Cocktail for Disaster

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. I also do not own Donjon's random generator, but it is a resource I utilize and if you would like, PM me or google "Donjon generator"

Foolish Sentiment

Prologue/Chapter 1: A Cocktail for Disaster 

Secure in the TARDIS bathroom, River stretched her aching body out, pulling her vest off as she went. It had been a hard, stressful week with the University, followed by an arduous adventure that further drained her emotionally. They had been headed for "The Living Ocean of Vorti" when the spatial moderator had malfunctioned and landed them in a makeshift, war-torn hospital; the scenery disturbingly reminiscent of World War II. Then again, all battle field clinics held the same tinge of despair and gore, regardless of the time-frame.

She pulled her top and pants off and tossed them into the laundry chute to be cared for later; she'd already treated the bloodstains with stain remover on the way here. Clearing her throat and running her fingers through her curls, she set about removing her makeup. Sighing, she gazed at her tired face in the mirror, gently washing away her facade as she prepared for bed. The cold water and chemicals felt refreshing against her skin, sun-baked from the day's journey. Exfoliating briefly and rinsing off, River briefly took account of her ashen complexion and moved on to the aromatherapy.

She checked the tub for residue or dust and found it to be free of debris. The TARDIS' self-cleaning program was fairly thorough, or as much as anyone could expect it to be. Satisfied, River started the hot water, plugged the tub, and turned to the medicine cabinet. Well, really, it was just a cabinet behind the mirror. No medicine was actually stored there. What was stored there were all of her various oils and bath salts. Good old magnesium sulfate, she chose this time. Something to soothe her muscles; with a few drops of sugar cookie scented oil, and she would be surrounded in baking bliss.

She scooped out a rough half-cup of the crystals and tossed them into the water, then shook out a few droplets of the aromatic oil before putting the supplies away. The comforting scent filled the air soon after and she let out a breath of pleasure. The archeologist took her undergarments off and swished the fluid around with her foot before reaching for the audio control.

 _'Something soft and soothing,'_ She decided. Soon a soft melody of electronic sounds began to play through the bathroom's built-in speakers.

The bathtub was just about full when she got in; River turned the water to moderately scalding and let her feet sit just below the surface of the water. With her added mass, the tub reached its proper capacity in a moment. After few more of relaxation, she washed the grime from her skin slowly, making sure each muscle got to stretch and relax in the process. Fifteen minutes later, she was all clean, laid back in the tub. Ruminating over events that bothered her this past week.

As the water grew cold, she got the distinct impression she shouldn't fall asleep here, but the pull was too strong.

"... _Girl, I don't think you know me at all, 'cause I never thought I'd have to say this_

 _But no, I don't love you, and I never did- Look at us, burning down in flames for kicks…"_

 **Author's Note:** Don't worry lovelies, more is coming soon. This is just the prologue. More will come today or tomorrow ;)


	2. A Pit of Worry

Disclaimer: Doctor Who is owned by BBC, of which I am not a member.

* * *

Chapter 2.

The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as he inspected the underside of the console. Wires from the spacial moderator appeared frayed with age, leading into the geographical prediction system- damage probably extenuated by the chameleon circuit's disrepair. Sliding his swing over to a new section of the TARDIS' under-paneling, he pulled the metal plates off and examined the equipment casualties. It wasn't too bad, but he thought he'd rerouted the circuits away from there. This shouldn't have happened. Either she'd reconnected things, someone else had, or something got knocked loose in the last rough landing they had; the TARDIS defaulting to the original system. Taking a closer look, the latter was the most probable. With a sigh, he started work on pulling out the remnants of cords, delicately replacing them in his modified configuration.

Never too pleased with having her insides toyed with, little sparks still came from the wires, if only to remind him that it still hurt her when he ripped them out.

"I know old girl," the Timelord said, taking a moment to stroke her healthy paneling, "Just a bit longer and you'll feel much better. I promise." She whirred in annoyance, and the sparking grew more intense. It seemed as though she were trying to tell him something.

His brow furrowed, "What… OH!" Realization hit him pretty hard as he hopped out of the swinging chair and ran up the stairs. He had forgotten to shut off the sensors powering up that area. His working there was equivalent to him slicing off a bit of infected skin without anesthetic.

"Sorry dear, I didn't realize..." he trailed off, feeling her relief at her message getting through. Once he got back in position, thirty to forty-five minutes passed while the Doctor did the repairs; it was a fairly simple fix, just delicate and tedious. TARDIS didn't fuss too much more; just a little zap every so often. It seemed as there was still some discharge from the area of effect.

When the Doctor was finished, he glanced back over his work, "Beautiful, I'll bet you feel loads better!" He reattached the paneling, turned the sensors back on, and could feel her delighted purr underhand.

"Can't wait to try some precision flight!" he exclaimed, bounding towards his and River's bedchambers with barely contained glee. He had to share the good news. As the ageless schoolboy approached, he remembered that although River had been all too pleased to see her husband, she'd been slightly irritable and mentioned something about needing to relax. With a smirk, he opened their bedroom door gently, _"I can help with that."_ When he opened the door, however, she was not in sight. The duvet hadn't even been disturbed.

"Still taking a bath?" he muttered to himself, followed by another grin, "I can help with that too."

He walked the short distance to the bathroom down the hall, now hearing the light music from outside the door. When arriving, he knocked quietly, not wanting to disturb her reverie.

After no response, he knocked slightly harder, "River?"

The only noise he heard was the soft sounds of wordless music. The Doctor ignored it, because there was another more pressing issue. He didn't hear any sort of noise coming from there but the music- no bath splashes, no running water, nothing. Worried, he turned the handle, found it locked, then undid it with his sonic. The view he was presented with might give him nightmares for weeks.

"River!"

His hearts dropped when he saw her passed out, in the tub, nose inches away from the water. The safety/overflow drain had pulled water out as she sunk into it, but was it enough? Striding over to the tub he used one hand to lift her head up and the other to feel for a pulse; it remained. He felt her breath on his arm and he sighed in relief, sending thanks to whatever force looked out for him. He unplugged the bathtub and wait a moment before trying to extract the girl inside. River stirred at his touch this time and quivered at the air surrounding her.

"River?" he inquired, worry carrying over into his voice as he brought over a towel. She just moaned in response, curling to try to conserve energy, "River, I need to get you dry, can you stand?"

There was a stronger groan, but she uncurled herself, shakily using his arms as support, and lifted herself up. He wrapped the warm towel around her and sat her on the toilet, working at the moist curls, before getting to the rest of her. The Doctor could see her losing the battle against sleep and decided to carry her to the bedroom. Upon lifting his wife into his arms, she burrowed into him- seeking a heat source. Adorable as it were, it was concerning. His temperature was lower than hers, but even to his skin she was freezing.

Exiting the bathroom, it seemed as though the TARDIS had moved his destination closer and he shot a telepathic 'thank you' to her as he shuffled through the door. As he got her on the bed, sitting her down with one arm and lifting the covers with the other, her light tremor turned into a consistent shudder. He plucked out the softest pajamas he could find, and carefully dressed her in them, before guiding her down to the pillows. After tucking her in, he began to worry. What had made her pass out in the tub? Maybe she'd taken something to help her relax? She'd said something about a headache, maybe she took something that had a drowsy effect? He whipped out his sonic and scanned her. What if she'd gotten a concussion during their time in that battlefield? He certainly didn't remember there being any flying rocks, but you never know. It's not like he kept his eyes on her one hundred percent of the time! Impossible, only about forty-five percent. Roughly.

Scans turned up inconclusive and the Doctor sighed in frustration. All of her vitals, besides her temperature, were normal. There was nothing to do but wait for her to wake up. He hardly felt her behavior warranted a blood test. After smoothing her curls back from her face, he shut off the bathroom, took care of the wet towel, and got some tea brewing. If she woke up soon, he was sure she'd want some. Hell, he wanted some now to calm his nerves.

Once finished and placed on a self-heating platter along with some Jammie Dodgers, he headed back to their room and set it on the bedside table. She hadn't woken, and because of the craziness she'd told him about earlier for her, he figured (hoped) that she was just asleep. In his absence she had turned over, so that was a good sign, but it appeared her shivers had yet to cease. With a pang of worry, he plucked _The Complete Harry Potter Collection_ from the bookshelf and sat with his back against the headboard. His record time for actually reading the complete series was around two hours. If she didn't at least rouse by then, the Doctor felt that was adequate cause for worry for a semi-consensual blood test. Pouring himself some tea, dressing it up, and nibbling at a Jammie Dodger, he settled in for an evening with his favorite wizarding world.

–

Not even thirty minutes into his reading session, he realized something was wrong with River.

For starters, she still had frequent chills despite being under the covers for so long. Every so often the Doctor would look over and see her grip the covers and shake for a moment, then after a second or so, she'd stop. His wife was whimpering and towards the end her face was deeply creased with distress. Rubbing her shoulder seemed to help for a time, but it stopped working. Scooting down to be on the same axis, he cupped her face and caressed her cheek. That's when it hit him, River was burning up. Everything clicked into place then; she had to be sick.

He swallowed a bowling ball of nerves and got up, all but sprinting to the medical bay. Ever since she'd made him get rid of the pointy things in his jacket pockets, he didn't keep a syringe in there anymore. The fretting Timelord nearly passed the door. It seemed as though his Sexy thing was on the same page, and moved the med bay closer. He ducked in and grabbed a blood kit from his kit-drawer, turned heel and half-jogged back to his wife. She was still in a poor condition, as he expected. At least she hadn't worsened in the ten seconds he was gone.

The Doctor sat her up against the headboard, and rolled up her sleeve. This earned him an irritated groan as River rolled her head, eyes fluttering open.

He cupped her face, "River, I need to take some blood to find out what's wrong with you, okay?" She remained relatively limp as she fought the shivers, but she let out a tiny sough of confirmation. Taking a few deep breaths to steady his hands, he wrapped the tourniquet around her arm. River whimpered in discomfort, but whether that was from her illness or the rubber band squeezing her arm, he couldn't be sure. After finding a vein, he sterilized the area and then carefully drew her blood. She winced as the needle pricked her sensitive skin, and turned her head away. He patched her up, and carefully slid her back under the covers.

After tucking her in, submitting the blood for analysis, and replacing the blood-drawing kit with the medicinal one, he returned to her side, and set about reducing her sudden fever. The Doctor took out the cold pack and broke the thin internal brick, setting it aside. He poured another cup of tea, with one sugar, then tried to wake her again. His hand slid under her head, as he called her name.

"River, honey, wake up," he called. No response, "River. Melody, I have to give you something. River, please." The noise she made broke both of his hearts. One eye slowly opened, glazed with sickness. How did she transform into this? She was tired, but fine two hours ago!

He sat her up, and dug out an antipyretic safe for her, along with a broad range antibiotic. Carefully, he tipped the pills up to her lips, dropped them in, and allowed her to sip from her cup of tea. His wife did as instructed, taking an extra drink from the tea before laying herself back down in an arthritic manner. She curled up on her side defensively. The Doctor ran his fingers through her hair a few times before getting out a cold pack. Tucking her in and sitting beside her on the bed, he broke the inside of the cooling device and started moving it over River's head and neck. She shuddered violently at the touch, but soon eased into it. It wasn't long after that she fell into a much more peaceful slumber. With yet another sigh, he wrapped the package in a washcloth and positioned it in the nape of her neck. Affectionately, he smoothed strands from her face and kissed her temple before checking on the blood sample.

God, the last time he'd seen her this sick was when she'd taken a poison dart for him, and he'd known what to expect then. This took him completely by surprise. He should have known when she smiled sadly at his arrival. He should have known when she opted out of the running portion of the rescue mission and chose to help out at the hospital. He should have known when she accepted his chaste affections without trying to push them further. The signs were all there, and he didn't pick up on any of them. She could have drowned in that bathtub, and he wouldn't have been any the wiser. Would she even have gotten this bad if he hadn't swooped in and carried her off to onerous adventures?

Shaking the thoughts from his head, the Doctor inspected the results on the display. A substantial white cell count, to be expected, and an abnormally high count of bacteria. He'd been right to use an antibiotic, then. He opened the detailed bacterial count and was mildly surprised to see what was causing her so much trouble. Streptococcus. Why was streptococcus giving her such a hard time? A silly little microbe like that should be child's play for her immune system. It didn't even get its second strand until the 27th century!

But, when he was able to research the strain a bit more, he understood; It was Methicillin resistant. This was clearly not picked up with her parents. Methicillin resistant strains of streptococcus weren't even discovered until the late 30th century. It wasn't even an issue until-

That's when it clicked. She said she attended a dig at the wreckage of the Goauldi on Asherah Prime. Their downfall coincided with the last great strep outbreak of Peng-Lai-Shan. The strongest thing they had on deck was Oxacillin, which clearly was no match for this bacterium.

Which meant that the antibiotic he gave her was ineffective, and the antipyretic was the only useful thing in her system.

The Doctor hastily opened a few cabinets, looking for a cure, but he didn't keep much of those things on hand. Whenever his companions got sick like this, he would take them to the hospital. He was NOT going to take her there if he could help it, but things were quickly looking like he'd have no choice. After a minute or two of looking, he recalled that the TARDIS had a medicinal synthesis system, and quickly slid over to the machine. Synthesized antibiotics weren't quite as strong as ones derived from cultures, but a nice course of Trovafloxacin VII should do the trick. After gathering injection supplies, he waited impatiently as the booth spit out the tonic and eagerly bounded back to his wife's side.

River still looked poorly, but better than she had a little while ago. Her face wasn't contorted in agony and she wasn't aggressively shaking anymore. A prolonged touch told him her fever was within safe levels once again. He brushed against her mind with his, finding her soundly asleep and entering REM.

" _Stay asleep. Everything is fine. I will stay here. I will protect you,"_ he transmitted to her mind, getting her arm ready for the tonic delivery. She didn't do well with needles, and he'd rather not wake her for this. The Doctor repeated the message through the process, as he stabilized her arm and injected the fluid into her. River moved a bit, even in her unconscious state, but he kept her still until the deed was done and patched. The Timelord tenderly kissed her cheek and settled next to her. He replaced the cold pack with his arm, sliding it under her head to cradle her body. Hopefully the protective contact would ward against the worst of her nightmares.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Not the _most_ medically accurate thing in the world, but about as close as I can get. Here are some facts that I used to write this.

is the strongest antibiotic we have along the penicillin line. (according to my grandma nurse. This may not be accurate)

2\. Anything that is resistant to the many different Penicillins is considered Methicillin resistant. That doesn't mean that methicillin wouldn't kill it, just means that it is resistant to it's weaker things.

3\. There aren't many broad range use synthetic antibiotics yet, but Trovafloxacin is one of them, and it's pretty strong.

I got my information from emedexpert; here is the link.

I'd like to apologize for any roughness found in this story. It's been a couple _years_ since I've written any fanfiction. If this is anything like my last project, my abilities will improve with time, so bare with me please.

My track record of updating is pretty spotty. I do not know when I'll update this again. I'm also busy this week with my grandmother's birthday and work, but I can say this: I have outlined this story, and have a general idea of the progression. It shouldn't be too difficult to write out now. As always, thanks for reading, and if you feel like reviewing, I'd appreciate it. Have a lovely day.


	3. A Ball of Misery

_Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who._

 **A/N: Thanks for bearing with me while I get myself together. Lots of birthdays last week, and I started to get sick myself. Better now, though :D**

Foolish Sentiment

Chapter 3: A Ball of Misery

 _The tap was running._

 _Melody opened her eyes to take in her surroundings. A giant faucet loomed over the cliff face before her, pouring water down to create a river. The sound filled her ears and alleviated her aching heart. She'd just come from a fight at a bar, having taken out a member of the Hebrew Mafia. The assassin escaped, but not for long. They'd come after her soon. She had to get away._

"I'll just create a false trail" _she thought to herself, as she crossed to the other side. The water was warm against her naked form, and inviting._

 _The trail led away from the river, and she was satisfied that it would keep them occupied. She knew the best way to escape was in the water, because it would wash away whatever scent or evidence she left behind. Melody sat on the side of the river, and slid in. It was deeper this time, coming up to her neck, and she allowed it to carry her away._

 _The water was slightly cooler, but that was alright. The sun bore down on her skin when she was making the trail into the forest. Being swept away was such a pleasant feeling she could feel her mind drifting…_

 _Now she was a mermaid named Song, and Melody was just a memory._

 _Gliding along the shallow Epipelagic floor, she observed the fauna that grew- her farm. Cucumbers and tomatoes, orange vines and starfruit. They were coming along nicely. The humming trout fluttered around her crops, pollinating them and nibbling at the seaweed underneath._

 _Her Merdog, Thena, swam towards her gleefully and Song took him in her arms. She ran her fingers against the soft scalp of the pup and his gills fluttered rapidly. After a nice cuddle session, she decided to go exploring a bit more. Thena insisted on coming, so she allowed him. He flitted around her purple-pink gradient tail, brushing against her affectionately as they descended deeper into the ocean._

 _She couldn't tell how long had passed before they were swept up violently into a strong current. Cold bit at her flesh and debris bit her as it flew past. Song struggled to break free, but it was of no use. She was powerless in this torrent. All she could do was be rigid in its grip._

 _She couldn't tell how long she was trapped in the whirlpool, but opening her eyes brought her to an autumn meadow. She laid on a blanket with her Doctor, the air pleasantly chilled and her lover's arms pillowing her head. Breathing his scent, she could make out generic fresh cotton odor along with the standard warm musky smell of his natural oil. He played with her curls and although they didn't speak, she felt they had the best date ever. They were linear, for the first time._

 _As time progressed, the sun warmed her skin...then began to bake it. River looked over to see the Doctor, who didn't seem to notice the heat. She reached out to touch him, but she couldn't move anymore. He turned his head to her, but his face changed to that of the younger Doctor, the tenth incarnation. His eyes were wicked as he rose to loom over her._

" _You think you can just waltz into my life, order me around, and I'll just lay back and take it? Well, you have another thing coming. Paralytic agent in the wine, an amateur move and still you fell for it._ They _would not be pleased."_

"Please, my love _," she wished to say, but her vocal cords weren't responding. He laughed maliciously, stuck his hands in his pockets and walked away._

 _River was incapable of movement for quite some time after that, regardless of how she pulled against the invisible weight. Tears bit at her cheeks, leaving a salty residue where they trailed down to the ground._

 _What happened next was unexpected, at first there was just a sharp sting in her arm, like a bee's. Then lighter prickles all around it, spreading over her body. Was the paralysis wearing off? She hoped so, but she was still incapacitated for the moment. The prickles were quite different from the normal effect-wearing-off tingles. This was more of a crawling sensation._

 _That's when her arm moved. She lifted it up, and saw that there were ants crawling all over it. Panic raising her heart-rate and allowing her to shake off the rest of the paralytic, she brushed them off with her other arm, and saw that it too was coated in them. River struggled to sit up, and began to shake them off of her, but they bit and clung to her skin. They were in her hair, under her clothes, everywhere. She screamed and everything went black._

 _Quite some time later, River awoke in a bar, with three burly men advancing on her. She tried to get away, but one grabbed her arm. No one around them seemed to notice what was going on; she was on her own. The assassin broke his grasp using a circular disarming technique, followed by a sharp jab to the throat. The two others lunged for her, and while she could avoid the first, the second proved to be more difficult. Her body was moving inertly, as though the floor were tar. He tackled her around the midsection and shoved her onto a table. River brought her knee up into his erogenous zone. In a fit of rage, he punched at her head, but she dodged the blow. Her legs went up to kick him off of her, but she wasn't quite fast enough. The failed tackler came up and pinned her arms to the table, while the one who grabbed her earlier punched her wind pipe in retaliation, followed by a crushing punch to the ribs._

 _She knew she was in trouble and had to fight through the pain, but it was too much too fast. The man below her grabbed the legs that she tried to throw him with, effectively halting further attempts at escape. The first assailant continued his assault on her body, not trying to kill her. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't break free, and after her first cry for help, she learned her lesson. His fists told her not to._

 _And still, no one around them did a thing._

 _She cried and prayed for her Doctor, before losing herself to the dark._

* * *

River awoke to a throbbing pain in her left ear slowly, but much too fast to her. Tears pricked at her eyes as the steady pressure seemed to intensify. She tried to move her head away from the force, but that only resulted in a much gentler, less intrusive, force, enveloping the right ear and surrounding areas. Mere seconds passed as River regained awareness before a quiet but shrill beeping could be heard from the source of her pain- well- the most prevalent source of pain at the moment- before it vanished. Truthfully the woman's whole body felt like it'd been through a blender. Even her brain had been liquified. Surprisingly enough though, she had no headache. Normally full-body pain garnered an equally strong migraine. There was still time for that. Tentatively, River opened her eyes.

A muted, displeased hum rumbled from the familiar figure before her. He took in the readings on the device which River assumed just left her ear. A soft frown worried his features before glancing back to his wife. The Doctor's eyes widened and he straightened his back, seeing those lovely blue eyes with the orange star-burst around their pupils.

"River!" he gasped, quickly moving his hand to cup her face once again. His thumb stroked over her cheekbone tenderly

She blinked slowly, still not fully awake. The general sluggishness of her body worked to pull her back under, but it grew weaker with every full breath. His mind brushed against hers, trying to determine if she was truly conscious. A tiny smile tugged at her face, _"Hello Sweetie."_

Satisfied, the Doctor beamed with delight and relief. After setting down the thermometer, he placed one hand on her stomach, and moved the curved hand to her hair, "Hello."

River wearily nictated, "How bad is the other guy?" She grimaced, throat impossibly raw. Had she been screaming in her sleep? Maybe that was why he was so happy to see her awake?

"...What?" The Doctor was confused. What did she mean, 'other guy' and why would they be bad? Did she have a dream about someone else?

"Fight?" River asked. She struggled to get up, trying to get in a position to drink the tea she eyed next to her. Seeing her efforts, her husband's hand slid behind her back and brought her up.

His brow furrowed, belatedly catching on, "Oh...You think you were in a fight?"

"I wasn't?" It was the (former) assassin's turn to be baffled. Waves of dizziness broke over her, bringing with them hot flashes. Her muscles ached as though she'd been running for a long time, or swam across a sea. He handed her a cup of warm tea, made her way, and she gratefully sipped from it. The heat was unwelcome in her throat but the liquid coated it well. Swallowing was unbelievably painful, yet there was something odd about the sensation; it had the same dull ache that her body felt, which would have been sharp if she'd been screaming. The pain was something else, like a bruise, or a lump. Did someone strangle her?

The Doctor regarded her carefully, hand resting on her hip, "You don't remember," an observation, more than a question, "River, you fell asleep- passed out, really, in the bathtub, after our adventure on Adipose 7. Turned out you were sick with a powerful strain of Strep. Went into a healing coma."

Different thoughts rushed to the foreground of River's mind as she mulled over this information, _"_ _God, that's embarrassing"_

" _Not possible, I don't get sick."_

" _How long was I out?"_

" _But is it really impossible to do so? It would explain the ache in everywhere but my head."_

" _Strep? As in Strep Throat? How_ _ridiculous_ _!_ _Of all the thinks to take me down, why Strep? Children suffer from that!"_

" _That explains why my throat hurts so badly."_

" _I passed out in the bath? How did I get here?"_

" _Well, surely he wouldn't leave me there. He probably carried-,"_ The woman's lips curled into a sinful smirk and her eyes gleamed mischievously.

She was plotting a much needed innuendo when her body betrayed her. River's breath caught in her throat, exiting as a painful cough. Lowering her tea, she buried her mouth in her shoulder as one or two turned into five glottis wracking, dry coughs. The back of her throat angrily throbbed in response. The Doctor's arm moved to rub her back while the other hand covered her tea to prevent spillage.

He spoke the words before he could stop them, "Are you okay?"

Biting back a scathing remark, she looked up at him sharply before softening her expression, "I'm fine," River raised her tea and gazed into her cup, continuing quietly, "It just hurts." She took another sip, willing it to cool down.

"I imagine so," the Doctor responded, a pitifully worried expression finding its way back to his face. His wife rarely admitted to feeling any kind of pain. She must have decided to drop he facade. "You were dragged through hell."

"Tell me more," she commanded, making eye contact and finishing off her tea.

He sputtered for a moment, trying to compile the scattered information of the past...however long, into chronological order while trying to decide whether or not to tell her everything, "Uhm, well, uh, what do you mean?"

"What happened? I assume you found me in the bath," She found her opportunity, "You didn't do anything to compromise my integrity, did you?" The look on his face was well worth the rage her throat was giving her for speech. She enjoyed flustering him, which was hard to do at his age.

His mind had been in serious mode, caretaker mode, please-be-okay mode, so it certainly caught him off guard when she made that accusation- probably more than it should have, "Of course not! I would never! You- I- Not even- No!"

Carefully chuckling, she rested a hand on his, "I know."

The joke, however incriminating, was desperately needed. The Doctor found his hearts settling around the idea that she would be okay. His wife was making jokes and ruffling his feathers and getting _better._ When he managed to pull his thoughts together again, he found himself sharing a comfortable silence and a mutually loving gaze.

"Right, what happened to you. Well, I found you in the bath, toweled you off, and got you dressed for bed. Thought you might just need some sleep but I decided to keep a bit of an eye on you- then you got worse, nasty fever, and I fixed you up with an antipyretic and broad spectrum antibiotic- which did nothing by the way. Got you checked out by the TARDIS and got a proper antibiotic, and now you seem to be recovering." The ending cadence of that sentence was suggestive of trouble.

This did not get past the ever perceptive River Song, "I seem to be?"

"Well..." the Doctor started with hesitation, "It's really just the fever. I don't have anything stronger for it, and it's been really hard to break. It keeps spiking randomly and too far away for me to give you another dose. Gone through maybe six gel-paks to keep it under control."

He bent by the side of the bed to grab another, remembering that it'd been on the climb when she awoke. As he did so, Missus got a good look at the changes their bedroom had undergone. An entire bookshelf's contents sat in stacks around her bed, along with...quite a few wrappers from the TARDIS' version of 'edible nutrition'. He'd clearly been here for a while.

"Speaking of which," he continued, clinical lilt creeping back into his voice, "I just got you down to the 38's, (100.4ish Fahrenheit) and you're peaking again."

Feeling a rush of faintness as she meant to speak, she was silent as he broke the internal brick and shook the contents. River's eyes flickered open when he gently placed the plastic against the nape of her neck. She covered his hand with her own, and he slid to allow her to control the cold. It felt harsh against her skin, but it was soothing in a way. The ill woman placed it over her eyes, then against her forehead, followed by her throat. She winced as she touched the hard, sensitive lumps beneath her jaw.

The Doctor had watched her cool herself with a smile until she found her swollen glands, "Lymph nodes on the neck, they swell up during this sickness. Anti-inflammatories can help, but you're not to have any more for another hour. The last thing you need is to overdose."

She wanted to ask how long she'd been under, but her personal time sense told her no more than two days, maybe three. Then another, more urgent question presented itself.

"Have you slept, love?"

He scoffed at the question, rolling his eyes, " _You just get done being seriously ill, and you're asking me if_ _ **I've**_ slept?" He paused before replying, "I caught a few winks."

River tilted her head and frowned at him, shifting the cold back to the other side of her neck.

"I slept enough."

Her sour expression deepened.

"River..." He didn't know how to explain himself, "I'm fine. Really, I don't need that much sleep."

Pangs of sympathy tickled her heart. Of course he hadn't. After all these years of marriage, she sometimes forgot how he could fret, "You did give yourself a course of antibiotics to protect yourself, though, yes?" It would not be unlikely for him to forget himself in the midst of all this.

Her husband's expression brightened, "Why yes I did. Wouldn't be much use to you if I fell ill too."

She tried to clear the knives from her throat, and only ended up making them worse, "I suppose you wouldn't."

The Doctor smiled sadly, then noticed her rubbing her throat, "Do you want some more tea?"

River almost accepted, "No, but I would really like some ice water, if you would please?"

"Be right back," he promised, patting her leg.

As he exited the room, she laid her head back on the pillows. The TARDIS hummed on the edges of her mind. She must have caused them both quite a scare. Another wave of internal heat passed over her, and she brought the gel-pack to cover her eyes. River's eye sockets ached dully but the cold helped. She only realized she'd dozed off when her husband's fingers found their way in her mane. Groaning, she made to sit up.

When she reached up to take off the cold pack, he jerked away, as though he hadn't expected her to wake up. The archeologist made more progress in sitting up before he jumped to assist.

The Doctor gingerly supported her back while handing her a cup of ice water. She drank from it, but it stung more powerfully than the tea had. Tears sprang to her eyes as she swallowed the too-large-too-cold gulp.

"You alright?" he asked, pressing a hand to her cheek and bending down to get a look at her eyes.

Her defensive impulses spiking, River scowled at his probing gaze, "Are you going to ask me that every time I take a drink?"

The Doctor backed off for a moment, just staring at her. His face contorted into a wounded expression, then he pulled her to his chest. His mind surrounded hers, letting her feel the relief at seeing her awake, with her usual bite, his worry over the passing days as she regained brief consciousness only to drop back into her healing coma, the clean distress her sharpness caused, and his unbridled love fueling his desire to comfort her aches and brush all her tears away.

It was a mixed blessing, but she was still very glad she got a version of him that loved her back.

Reluctantly, she allowed herself to take respite in his arms, setting the cup on the bedside table and curling against his chest. River's head found it's proper place against his neck, skin acting like a cold cloth against her fevered skin. She settled into him, recognizing this blend of emotions and knowing he just needed to hold her for a moment.

"Oh River," he mumbled into her curls, pressing her sideways. Her legs were swept to the side as he cradled her torso and rested his cheek against her forehead, "Why didn't you say anything? Why did you let me take you- when you were clearly ill?"

A knot of pain rose in her throat that had nothing to do with her sickness.

"Sweetie, I..." _hide the damage from you, because you're unpredictable when distraught, and sometimes you hurt me unintentionally. It's better if I just hide it, pretend like I'm invincible, "_ I didn't want you to worry."

"Please don't," he whispered, clutching her tighter, "Please, I worry more when things like this happen," The Doctor listened to her thoughts, her fears, "I hate that you hide from me. I need to know these things, I _want_ to know, River, I'm your _husband._ "

More tears escaped from her eyes with his words, "But you're not always."

He had inadvertently started rocking her, and when he became aware of hit, he didn't stop, "But when I _am_ , _**please**_ _,_ let me know. You're not bulletproof and I don't expect you to be. You're..."

The Doctor stopped in favor of preventing his tears.

" _I feel like I have to be,"_ she thought, with agony, " _How can I have my guards up with one of you, and let go with the other?"_

"Please..." he urged.

She kissed his pulse point and nuzzled his collarbone in response, " _I'll try."_ Her breath became ragged for a moment, years of pain seeping to the outside for a moment. This was a hard topic, and they weren't even talking.

They sat like that in silence for minutes, the Doctor gently rocking her, and River concentrating on his arms, and the comforting feeling they brought.

It wasn't long after that she drifted back into a light doze.

* * *

 **A/N:** Again, sorry about the delay. Life happened. Not too much more to add to this story. There may be a recovery chapter, and I might possibly segue into another instance where she needed his care. If you could give me some feedback, I'd appreciate it, and thank you to everyone who expressed interest in this story. It was such a delight to open my inbox and see people having followed or favored the story. I was quite afraid of producing a substandard product, as it's been a few years since I've really written like this.

No guarantees on a timeline for the next chapter, but there _will_ be another one. It is coming, it is on the way :3


	4. Songs of Healing Waves of Memory

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.  
Quick Note: I originally intended to make this two separate chapters, but the first bit was so short I decided to just give you one long chapter.

A/N: I feel like there should be a category called "Comfort Porn" and this story should be part of it. I know that "Hurt/Comfort" is accurate enough, but it's _**not**_.

SO SO SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT I AM A TERRIBLE HUMAN BEING.  
But yeah, here you go. Got another few ideas for stories, and I want to write them, but I refuse to write anything else before I finish this =U

Foolish Sentiment  
Chapters 4 and 5

Songs of Healing | Waves of Memory

The next few days were spent snuggling and doing quiet activities. They watched movies, played board games, cards, read books, and caught up on River's paperwork. He'd picked her up right after Finals so there were mountains of work to sort through, projects to assess, and final grades to calculate. River took it slowly, with lots of naps and rounds of Rummy between. The Doctor was attentive, but he could only stay still for so long now that he could think about something other than ensuring her survival. He tried to help with the grading process, but got overly frustrated with imprecise details and frequently graded too harshly. It only took two and a half essays fifty pages long to give up entirely.

When River was busy, he went out and tinkered with the TARDIS, or made a quick visit to some marketplace or tourist attraction. It didn't feel the same, knowing that his wife was back inside doing tedious work and recovering from a planet-killing illness while he was slipping down a water slide. Soon enough though, four days passed and she had completely recovered. They spent the next couple days visiting friends and saving people.

He dropped her off at her lovely home in the suburb with every paper and test accounted for, and with another entry for her diary. After their good bye kiss, he bowed his head to her ear.

"I can't promise much, but I swear to you, whatever face I'm wearing, I will _always_ take care of you. You don't have to hide your wounds from me."

"You can't say that," River said, voice cheerful and teasing, although he knew better by now.

"Spoilers."

Years later she found herself in a similarly vulnerable state.

"Hurry up! They're getting away!"

Her grip on his was painful as she dragged him through the dense jungle.

 _Ao-Kuang of the constellation Dule, a planet that witnessed three apocalypses before it was discovered by alien life forms to conquer and rehabilitate it. It was the birthplace of the Mandula fruit, and an archeological treasure trove. River hadn't been looking for the Doctor when they ran into each other._

Once they got back to the part of the forest that he knew, the Doctor pulled ahead and started leading River towards the TARDIS. Unfortunately, a minute later, one of the divergent groups saw them.

"Over here!"

They twisted through the foliage, eyes searching for the blue box that meant safety. It turned out the Doctor had taken a mostly hidden animal track to get to the city. However, the jungle people were only shaken for a moment. They knew this area better than anyone, even River who had spent the better part of a month here.

 _She brought him along with her to explore the inner sanctum of the jungle ruins from two civilizations ago. River had been there for about a week, trying to decipher what had been the source of their downfall when the native population discovered them 'defiling' their 'holy grounds'. The chase started shortly after that._

They arrived at the TARDIS, key in the Doctor's hand and fumbling with the lock.  
"Hurry," River urged in a whisper. They seemed to have lost their assailants, but who knew for how long? River felt a prick at her neck like a bee sting and slapped the area. She pulled away a ball of bug-like object but there was no stinger. Figuring it had broken off, River decided to pull it out later.

"Got it," The Doctor answered in a similar fashion. He opened the door quickly, air pressure fluttering his brown coat and River quickly entered behind him. Before she could close the door, another bee stung her in the back. She cursed the poor insect repellant she'd applied before entering and joined him at the console. He'd gotten around, starting the flight sequence and she slyly assisted without him noticing. He wouldn't start noticing for a few more trips from now.

A wave of dizziness from the adrenaline rush wearing off flushed over her. She sighed it away and steadied the relative space navigation lever. The Doctor bounced around, clearly not stopping anytime soon. This pretty face was always bounding with energy, probably why he was so ridiculously thin.

"So!" he started, pressing the rotational destabilization button, for no reason, "Where should I drop you off?"

River smiled sadly, "You're not sick of me already, are you Doctor?" Another wave. She blinked for a second longer than normal and put her hand against the console. _"What is this?"_ The sudden wibbly-ness of the ship didn't help matters.

It had really been more of a ploy to find out where and what time period she lived in, but he supposed he could suffer her longer if she wished. He owed her that at the least. The guilt that plagued him when he was around her was mingled with a little bit of excitement, almost hoping that she'd want to stick around for another trip, "Well, you're a Professor. I'm sure you're very busy...unless you'd like to go somewhere else?"

He'd been navigating the TARDIS through a particularly tricky stretch of time bubbles to get to a clear spot in deep space. Pressing the automatic break, the Doctor let the TARDIS come to a slow orbit around one of Valtor Nine's moons. It was then he looked up at River, who hadn't responded yet. Her skin seemed flushed a shade or two lighter than normal, slightly ashen. Her eyes were closed and she was leaning against the TARDIS console.

"River?" he inquired, keeping his distance but focusing entirely on her now, trying to decipher what was wrong, "Are you alright?"

A fog was filling up her mind, making it difficult to think. She'd only intended to take a second to steady herself, but she found herself leaning against the console, half dozed off.

"I..." This came on so sudden, so intensely. River didn't want to worry him, but she was legitimately unsure if she could even hold up a facade, regardless of whether it was a good idea. She forced her eyes to focus on him, and found that it was too late, he was already closing in on her, "I don't know." _How did this happen?_

The Doctor's eyes lighted on her neck, where she was stung, and where she inadvertently jammed it in further.. He brushed curls away from it carefully and pulled out the sonic, scanning the area, then the rest of her body. Before the readings processed, her knees gave way and she dropped. Stopping the scan, he grabbed a hold of her and pulled an arm over his shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she said, humiliated that he was seeing her like this, and infuriated that her body would betray her. The Doctor didn't respond and focused on getting her to the Medbay. The TARDIS moved it closer to the console room as always when someone was injured. He sat her on the inspection table and plugged the sonic into the monitor so it could use the readings while he got her set up.

River's brain finally processed what was happening and what could have caused it, "The stings."

"What?"

"I got stung on the way in here. Bees?"

The Doctor went back to the visible welt on her neck and saw that there was indeed something wedged inside. He went over to the tools and got some medical tweezers, then with acute precision, pulled the stinger out while gently holding her head still. River whimpered but did her best to hold still. When he pulled it out and put it under the magnifying glass, he saw something terrible. It was definitely part of an artificial dart, not a bee's stinger. Even worse, that dart very likely held poison. His heart beat skipped, returning to the monitor and seeing the read out. Her heart rate had slowed down, temperature risen, and brain function reduced. He pulled back, and saw that River's eyes had slipped closed.

"River, stay with me, please," he pleaded, quickly analyzing the residue in the dart and grabbing the anti-venom that had been dispensed.

She let out a low hum in response, not completely unconscious then. Wow, she was tough.

"Good, good," he chirped, rushing around and getting her prepped for injection, "River, are you still awake?"

The noise she made couldn't qualify as a hum, but it was intentional, just on the brink of fainting. The Doctor gave her the antidote and bandaged the injection site.

"River," he called, taking hold of her hand and pulling a seat up to her side. There was no response, "River."

The Doctor sighed, it appeared as she had finally given in. He scanned her once more with the sonic, brain function still slowly dropping, pulse very quiet, and fever rather high, trying to burn away the toxin.

"Come on," he urged quietly while treating her neck, "Not here. Not yet. Not one line, remember? Well, I suppose you don't. Hasn't happened for you yet." For a moment he was grateful she wasn't awake to hear that spoiler. He'd have to get better at keeping that to himself.

After twenty agonizingly long minutes spent holding her hand, pacing, scanning her over again with the TARDIS and the sonic, the anti-venom appeared to be kicking in. Her heart rate elevated, temperature dropped a peg and brain function improved, according to the monitor. Minimal organ damage, drinking heavily would be worse than what happened to her body.

Five minutes later, she awoke.

Groaning, brow furrowed in pain, River opened her eyes and drank in her surroundings. The Doctor stood by her side.

"The Medbay?" Then she remembered, "The stings?" Taken down by a couple insects. That was humbling.

"That was no bee sting, it was a poison dart," He elaborated, trying not to let his worry show too much. Sometimes he forgot how fragile humans were, even though she handled that remarkably well.

Her hand went up to her neck, feeling the welt that sat there. Even now the swelling lowered. River then reached over to her side where the other dart lay.

She plucked it out, inspected it, then offered it to the Doctor, "You missed one, Sweetie." His eyes widened in surprise as he took it from her hand. Eyes shifted from her face to the dart.

"Two? You took two doses of this?" She was even stronger than he thought. It would explain the speed at which she reacted to it.

River just smiled sweetly, "Of course, did you really think one was enough for me?" Her smile may have been sweet, but her eyes were anything but.

The Doctor blushed lightly, having gotten the joke, "Don't tease me, that was..." he shook his head, not wanting to divulge that he had terrified her, however momentarily, "Well, I imagine you're worn out. You should get some rest." He made to walk off and let her sleep.

She wasn't sure what it was, the fever, or the care he had shown her, or her silent resolve to hide less from him, but River grabbed his hand, "Don't..." Shame burned her insides and caused her cheeks to flush. Had she crossed a line? Who was she to ask him to stay?

"Don't…?" The Doctor queried.

River broke her grip on his hand, "Please, um...Don't leave just yet." She looked away, silently admonishing herself. He was going to walk out that door. She made this awkward, he's going to leave her here.

The Doctor stood rigid for a moment, but then he did the unthinkable and sat back down on the stool; taking her hand once more.

"Alright," he said, a gentle kindness fueled by blossoming affection shining from his face, "I'll stay."

A serene smile alighted her face as she brought his hand to her cheek, rubbing his arm lovingly.

She was so pleased by his answer, he couldn't bring himself to take his hand away. His thumb moved as though from memory, stroking her cheek. The action sent shivers down his arm, tickling the place in his hearts that lay dormant for so long. Maybe, possibly, distantly in the future, he could learn to love and care for this woman.

A/N: SO SO SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT I AM A TERRIBLE HUMAN BEING.  
But yeah, here you go. Got another few ideas for stories, and I want to write them, but I refused to write anything else before I finish this.

Sorry it's not longer than this, I really thought it would be. :/ Guess I gotta work on that.

Thank you for waiting so patiently. If you don't mind, please Review and I hope you enjoyed this.


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